Home › Blog › Page 1655

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

PhotobucketFollowing my recent post about China’s scramble for energy and their nonrenewable energy plan, I cover here the nonrenewable push. Renewable energy supplies about 7.5% of all energy needs for China, says the EIA, close to our 7% figure in the U.S. Hence, nonrenewable energy sources are especially important over the next few decades for both the U.S. and China while the green industry ramps up. The two countries are already bumping up against each other over resources.

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 15th, 2010 that Chinese state-owned oil company Cnooc Ltd. is taking a 50 percent stake in Argentina’s Bridas Energy Holdings for $3.1 billion. Cnooc is the Hong-Kong listed unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp. It will finance the joint venture through “internal sources,” and the project is expected to move along quickly. The reserves of Bridas include an estimated 636 million barrels of oil; the company has activities in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
(more…)

Tagged with: ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

During my 2GreenEnergy free webinar next month, I’ll be emphasizing how vastly and quickly green investing is growing. Here’s an appetizer. While there are only a handful of EV and PHEV vehicles on the road today, by 2015 the infrastructure required to fuel electrically-powered vehicles will be an $11.75 billion global industry, according to research firm ABI. From zero to $11.75 billion in less than five years!! And that’s just one of many green tech businesses about to change the investing landscape!

Tagged with: , , , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

The US Geothermal Energy Association just reported a 25% increase in new projects under development in US in 2009. All told, there are now nearly 200 projects in some stage of development which, when they’re finished, will produce as much as 7,875 MW. That’s the equivalent of about a dozen coal-fired power plants.

Tagged with: ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’m on my way out the door to head down to Ventura Channel 15, where I’ll be interviewing EV World Associates Managing Partner Sam Smith on camera about his insights into technology, economic, and political aspects of the migration to electric transportation.

I’m always trying to improve my skills as a TV interviewer — and to that end, currently I’m trying to act and sound like PBS’s Charlie Rose, whom I deeply admire. Of course, when (and if) I get really good at this, I plan to stop trying to sound like others, and simply find my own voice.

Let’s see how this turns out. I hope to have the video up on the site soon; I’ll let you be the judge.

Tagged with: , , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Bloomberg New Energy Finance is reporting that 19 alternative energy companies plan IPOs this year intended to raise a combined total of nearly $10 billion. Most will likely will be announced over the next few months. Announced IPOs range from EV carmaker Tesla to Spanish solar PV maker T-Solar. Get ready for the universe of alternative energy investing to grow a lot bigger!

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Some readers appear to be concerned that Bill Paul has a soft heart. After all, who else could recommend stock picks in renewable energy? A recent comment:

Mr. Paul sounds very informed but as long as alternative energy is more expensive, why will people want it? … There is too much politics involved and not enough objective facts.

Speaking on behalf of Bill Paul, whom I know very well, I can tell you that he’s not a political philosopher; he’s a financial advisor. I.e., he can’t tell you what should happen, but rather to tell you what very likely will happen — and what that means to investors in the space.

Tagged with: , , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I wanted to write a follow-on to yesterday’s post on Renewable Energy in the Mainstream. From a business perspective, will there be people who become fantastically wealthy from the migration to renewables — and from sustainability more generally? You bet. The only realy question is who they are going to be.

I recall the cynical bumper sticker from when I was a kid: “Expect solar energy when the Rockefellers get exclusive rights to the sun.” In truth, I certainly expect a great many of the names of old wealth to reappear as key players here. But I also feel that this is an opportunity not seen since the Gold Rush 160 years ago for people of modest means to get involved.

In large measure, this is the focus of the information products that readers will see appearing on the site over the next couple of months: providing a path for tens of millions of people to learn about how they can most easily and effectively participate in the coming multi-trillion dollar market. Expect to see some high-priced newsletters (that cost a fortune to develop), specifically for high-end investors. But also, please look for some extremely low-priced books and newsletters that are aimed at helping everyone understand this rapidly evolving marketplace: the technologies that are most likely to win and lose, the most important economic trends, and the polical battles being waged every day that have huge bearing on the ultimate deployment of renewables.

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

A reader in New Zealand wants to discuss his new generation internal combustion engine (ICE), designed to take full advantage of the high power density available with the two/stroke engine principle while overcoming the inherent limitations of the conventional design. Sure, I’d love to know more about that, and I eagerly anticipate his call. But I have to say that this technology appears to combine two things of which I’m deeply skeptical: ICEs and hydrogren.

I like to think I’m good at keeping an open mind, but I’m afraid that there is very little to get excited about in the ICE department these days. With very passing day, it’s looking more like we’ll be seeing a lot more electric motors — with whatever form of onboard energy storage we can muster. But again, I’m willing to eat my words. And I must say there is an incredibly flurry of bright ideas coming fro New Zealand.

Tagged with: , ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

PhotobucketGuest blogger Garth notes:

In the past, many people spent the extra dollars on green products mostly so they could feel good about themselves. That changed with the economic down turn and the number of green purchasers dramatically dropped.

Here’s my take on this: only a small percentage of people will pay more for green products purely to feel good about themselves – and you’re right: the worse the economy, the smaller that number is. But renewable energy and sustainability more generally will soon rule the day, due to a convergence of laws and incentives from the public sector, and an enormous amount of investment from the private sector, including the Global 500. The handwriting’s on the wall. Even the Chevrons of the world are working their butts off to develop new energy solutions. Only the lunatic fringe sees sustainability as a subject for the anti-capitalist counter-culture. I honestly believe that it’s on its way to becoming a paradigm for all things in our modern world — at both the consumer level: e.g., shopping, eating, vacationing — and business: R&D, manufacturing, supply chain logistics, etc.

Yet so many important questions remain. The confluence of constantly improving technologies, macro- and micro-economic issues, and power politics — in Washington and around the world — makes this whole thing an extremely complicated calculus. That’s why I find this so interesting — there are hundreds of different vectors hitting it from all sides.

More here.

Tagged with: ,

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

The Five Rules of Alternative Energy Investing by Bill PaulAs I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m electrified by Bill Paul – by his energy level, by his passion for New Energy, and by his love of great writing. I guess that’s what 20 years as a staff writer in energy at the Wall Street Journal will do for you — I’m sure there’s always an editor who wants your stuff a little “tighter and brighter.”

In any case, I’ll never forget our first meeting, over lunch at the Newark NJ Amtrak station. I was so engaged at this man’s insights into the multi-trillion dollar world of clean energy that I could hardly eat. “Northern Africa will soon be an enormous opportunity for the few people who are really paying attention to all this. Do you know what’s happening in the stock markets in Algiers and Tripoli?” he asked.  “No, not precisely,” I admitted.  “To be honest, I thought the only markets in places like that were open-air — filled with rugs and chickens.”

Kidding aside, we’re quite proud to have Bill here at 2GreenEnergy. Anyone who wants a taste of his insights should download his free report: 5 Rules of Effective Alternative Energy Investing.

Tagged with: , , ,